Rumors among survivors of hurricane Katrina-Unproven!

Rumors among survivors of hurricane Katrina-Unproven!

Murders and Rapes and Killings among Hurricane Survivors in the Superdome and In Baton Rouge-Unproven!

Summary of eRumor:

One of the more alarming stories to come out of New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was reports of rapes in the Superdome and two children whose throats were cut, a 7-year old who was raped and killed, and widespread reports in Baton Rouge of carjackings and other mayhem.

The Truth:

If you ever find yourself in the midst of a natural disaster or other crisis that affects a large number of people, brace yourself for rumors. Whether they start because of sincere misinformation or because of intentional misinformation, they can spread like wildfire, especially during a time when other types of communication are not working. These stories about the hurricane survivors were reported through several media including being repeated by survivors interviewed on television. Most of them believed the stories and repeated them as truth. The story about rapes, killings, and the slitting of two children's throats was also reported in an article in the Guardian of London on September 5. They quoted witnesses as saying, "During this time, they said, girls and boys were raped in the dark and had their throats cut and bodies were stuffed in the kitchens while looters and madmen exchanged fire with weapons they had looted." TruthOrFiction.com has checked with New Orleans police. They say they've not been able to confirm the story of the babies with the throats cut or even any rapes from among those who took refuge in the Superdome. If those events did happen, nobody has come forward to report them or substantiate them. One rumor that spread through the refugees was that a 7-year-old-girl had been raped and killed, but there has not been any evidence found so far of that murder. The London Guardian ran a story on September 6 saying that they, too, have not been able to confirm any of the rape and killing stories or the stories of bodies stacked in the kitchen at the Superdome. The Guardian said it had not been able to find any substantiation of any dead bodies at the Superdome at all, much less the bodies of children.

In Baton Rouge, the Mayor-President Kip Holden declared a curfew because of fears and reports of violence, but police there now say there was no violence except in rumors.